1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for attaching an adhesive tape onto variously shaped members to be attached, and particularly to a method and a device for attaching an adhesive tape such as masking tape and the like onto a plate-like body such as a bent vehicle window glass or the like automatically when painting, coating, chemical treatment or the like is given to the surface of the plate-like body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a wide variety of methods or devices for automatically attaching an adhesive tape to a member to be attached have been known. Particularly, various methods or devices for attaching masking tapes onto surfaces of flat plate-like members such as substrates, or labeling machines for attaching labels to curved surfaces of bottles, cans, etc., are known.
For example, JP-B-53-43794 discloses a labeling machine for attaching labels onto bottles or the like. The labeling machine includes a labeling mechanism constituted by suction drums for suctioning labels from a label holder and an attaching drum for suctioning labels and pressing the labels onto a side surface of bottles or the like. In the labeling machine, the suction drums are disposed apart from the attaching drum, each of the suction drums being provided with a receiving frame for receiving a label on the attaching drum side and in a position along the traveling direction of the attaching drum, and further provided with a member for pressing the label in the receiving frame onto the side surface of the attaching drum.
Further, as for the machine for attaching masking tape to a printed board, JP-U-5-69014 discloses a masking tape attaching machine. This machine includes a tape support portion for rotatably supporting a roll-like masking tape, two tape pressing rollers disposed side by side in the tape-attaching direction so as to be able to individually move up and down and to press the fed masking tape onto the printed board, a cutter disposed between the two tape pressing rollers for cutting the tape in the state where the tape pressing roller on the tape support portion side is in the moving-up position while the other tape pressing roller is pressing the masking tape, and a moving means for moving the tape support portion, the tape pressing rollers and the cutter as a whole in the tape attaching direction.
The related art-type masking and tape attaching machines have a main function that attaches tapes continuously. Accordingly, they are not good at partial tape attaching. In addition, most of mechanisms of a tape feeding unit, a cutting unit, and an attaching unit are integrated and disposed continuously, so that the posture of tape attaching is limited.
On the other hand, the labeling machines have a main function that attaches labels partially, and supplied paper is limited to paper with peeling sheet. Accordingly, there was a problem that it is necessary to prepare supplied paper attached with labels having a required size or length in advance.
For example, the method disclosed in JP-B-53-43794 discloses a method for attaching a label onto a substantially cylindrical portion of a bottle, a can or the like, in which a label is suctioned onto a suction drum so as to be delivered to an attaching drum, and paste is applied to the label suctioned on the attaching drum by a pasting drum. Thus, the label is attached to a bottle or the like. In such a manner, the number of times of delivery of a label among the drums is very large. Further, means for suctioning a label onto the drums uses a vacuum. Accordingly, there is a problem that the structure and the timing control are so complicated that it is difficult to apply the method to such a case where tape is attached onto opposite surfaces of a large-sized and curved plate-like body.
On the other hand, in the machine disclosed in the above JP-U-5-69014, masking tape is attached onto the flat surface of a printed board or the like. It is therefore difficult to apply the machine to a case of attaching tape onto opposite surfaces of a curved plate-like body.